1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of hinge mechanisms and in particular to a swivel hinge apparatus for an electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
As used in the context herein, the term electronic devices refer to portable communication devices, computers, portable electronic calculators, etc. The term ‘portable communication device’ (PCD) refers to devices carried and in some cases may perform a type of radio or wireless communication (e.g., cellular, Wi-Fi, 3G, and/or 4G. For example, portable communication devices may include a hand-held phone (HHP), cordless telephone (CT2) cellular phone, a digital phone, a personal communications systems (PCS) phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA) and other similar types devices. For example, smartphones, such as the SAMSUNG GALAXY S, and the SAMSUNG TAB, commercially available from SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., are portable communication devices. Typically, PCDs are sorted into various types according to their shapes. For example, devices (i.e., terminals) are classified based on their shape or operation. For example, terminals may be classified as a bar-type terminal, flip-type terminal, or a folder-type terminal. The bar-type terminal has a single housing shaped like a bar. The flip-type terminal has a flip or cover pivotably mounted to a bar-shaped housing by a hinge unit. The folder-type terminal has a folder coupled to a single bar-shaped housing by a hinge unit in such a manner that the folder can be rotated to fold to or unfold from the housing.
With the miniaturization of communication or receiving devices such as the portable communication devices, portable mini cassettes, MP3 players, radio players, etc., earsets connected to the electronic devices for listening have been widely used to allow the electronic devices to be easily carried.
The earset may also operate as a microphone, which may wired to device or wirelessly connected to the device. For example, a headset including a BLUETOOTH wireless transceiving (transmitting/receiving) device, with BLUETOOTH being a short range wireless communications technology at the 2.4 GHz band, commercially available from the BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, INC., may operate to receive communications from a portable communication device or transmit communication to the portable communication device. BLUETOOTH technology is a well-known short range wireless communications technology, technology at the 2.4 GHz band, commercially available from the BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, INC., and need not be discussed in detail herein.
A headset containing the BLUETOOTH technology, with BLUETOOTH being a short range wireless communications technology at the 2.4 GHz band, commercially available from the BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, INC., is advantageous in that it is free from the restrictions of action and movement that exist when the earset is connected to the portable communication device by an electric wire. Moreover, a user can access the Internet and make a call or receive a call without having to access the portable communication device directly, as commands may be issued through the BLUETOOTH wireless protocol, with BLUETOOTH being a short range wireless communications technology at the 2.4 GHz band, commercially available from the BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, INC., to the PCD.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional wireless headset 1 includes a BLUETOOTH module 2, with BLUETOOTH being a short range wireless communications technology at the 2.4 GHz band, commercially available from the BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, INC., a microphone portion 3, a speaker portion 4, and a hinge apparatus 5 for rotating the speaker portion 4. The BLUETOOTH module 2, with BLUETOOTH being a short range wireless communications technology at the 2.4 GHz band, commercially available from the BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, INC., includes at least a transceiving device that is adapted for the BLUETOOTH communication protocol, with BLUETOOTH being a short range wireless communications technology at the 2.4 GHz band, commercially available from the BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, INC.
However, a hinge apparatus 5 of a conventional portable communication device and a hinge apparatus 5 of a conventional headset are structured such that a speaker portion 4 of the communication device and a speaker portion 4 of the headset 1 are folded or unfolded merely by being rotated in a vertical direction along the hinge apparatus 5. As a result, when the speaker portion 4 is positioned at a user's ear, a microphone portion 3 may move away from a user's mouth, such that user's sound is not accurately delivered to the partner in a communication mode. Moreover, since the speaker portion 4 linearly rotates in the vertical direction, the speaker portion 4 of the communication device and the speaker portion 4 of the headset 1 may unintentionally rotate, thus executing the communication mode, or may be closed, thus being suddenly disconnected.
Korean Patent Publication No. 2008-0107876 discloses a bending apparatus of a BLUETOOTH headset, with BLUETOOTH being a short range wireless communications technology at the 2.4 GHz band, commercially available from the BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, INC. Referring to FIG. 2, a bending apparatus 10 of a BLUETOOTH headset, with BLUETOOTH being a short range wireless communications technology at the 2.4 GHz band, commercially available from the BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, INC., is structured such that an earphone portion 20 and a body portion 30 coupling a left body and a right body are coupled upright, face to face, through inclined surfaces 21 and 31, and a pivoting apparatus 40 is provided in a coupling portion of the earphone portion 20 and the body portion 30 to adjust a bending angle of the earphone portion 20 according to inclinations of the inclined surfaces 21 and 31.
However, the conventional bending apparatus 10 of the BLUETOOTH headset, with BLUETOOTH being a short range wireless communications technology at the 2.4 GHz band, commercially available from the BLUETOOTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP, INC., is structured such that the pivoting apparatus 40 is mounted along the inclined surfaces 21 and 31 of the earphone portion 20 and the body portion 30. As a result, the pivoting apparatus 40 is separated along the inclined surfaces 21 and 31, thus being difficult to install and reducing an applicable force for retaining the pieces in position, whereby the strength of engagement and assembly processing of a product are difficult and a time for assembly processing also increases.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus which assembles a hinge apparatus to an electronic device in a simple and easy way and improves the strength of engagement.